“I donned my funeral shroud…I mean ihram.”
10/23/11
I donned my funeral shroud…I mean ihram. Such a different feeling. Oddly refreshing & invigorating, while nerve-wracking & kind of scary at the same time. Probably b/c this is the first time I’ve ever been in the state of ihram. I’m trying to be super apprehensive about how I do everything now. See, I’m used to fasting, knowing what to avoid in that state & how to maneuver that – ihram is entirely foreign though. Hopefully, I won’t make any mistakes & have to pay a penalty or end up leaving the state of ihram.
On a side note, these uncles talked all night long. My mom & I got no sleep. I’m so tired – I’m concerned I’ll end up spending valuable ibadah (worship) time having to catch up on sleep now. There’s still more transit time til we get to Mecca though, maybe I can still catch some shuteye. We’re actually going to be flying into Medina first, then Jeddah. Our group is opting to wait til Medina before changing into their ihram. I decided that would be too hectic & just did it early – every single dude on the plane trying to change into their two sheets all at once, with only 4 bathrooms, that’s a problem. Most people on the plane started it after Fajr – which, by the way, came super early! We jumped so many time zones, I suppose that’s why. I’ve never actually done this, where I prayed on a plane, according to the prayer time for the area we’re flying over. It’s been so long since I’ve been on a trip overseas – last time I went, I didn’t care so much about praying. Alhamdulillah. Going to try sleeping a little iA. A lot more traveling still ahead.
Journey to Hajj 